Systems are known for monitoring compliance with a particular treatment, e.g. oxygen therapy, by reporting data measured on medical appliances to a remote point. Other systems provide the option of remotely programming the equipment. Still other equipment is suitable for sending warnings or alarms concerning the state of the patient and/or the state of appliances in the vicinity to the patient, which equipment includes remote alarm systems that are triggered by voluntary action of the patient or in response to an event generated by a sensor.
Nevertheless, those known systems do not inspire carers with much confidence about what is actually taking place at the patient's home.
For systems that report measured data to a remote point, the carer is informed only after the event that treatment has not been properly complied with, and being at a distance, the carer has little means for guiding and/or educating the patient towards better compliance.
In systems that enable appliances to be remotely programmed, only certain items of data are returned in the guise of an acknowledgment of receipt in response to remote programming. If a display is provided on the remote appliance, then the patient can use the telephone to corroborate that a change of state of the appliance has taken place. Nevertheless, even with such corroboration, the carer cannot ensure that the installation is functioning properly overall (and in particular cannot inspect the tubing).
Finally, conventional alarm or warning systems do not enable action to be taken remotely on the cause of an alarm or warning, and, in the absence of further information, a carer having any doubts concerning the validity of the alarm or warning or concerning the state of the patient will have to make a visit.
One object of the present invention is to provide a system for rendering remote medical assistance to a patient at home that makes it possible in particular to guarantee that the real operation of the appliances in the vicinity of the patient does indeed comply with the expected operation thereof, to control appliances remotely in order to be able to modify their operating parameters so as to adapt them to the patient's needs, and to give the carer a maximum degree of reassurance and confidence concerning the action taken remotely.
This and other objects are attained in accordance with one aspect of the present invention directed to a patient station comprising at least a remotely controllable patient video camera and a patient computer provided with means for acquiring data from medical assistance appliances, with relaying means for forwarding commands to said appliances, and with means for connection to a telecommunications network; and a carer station comprising at least a display screen suitable for receiving images from said patient video camera, and a carer computer provided with means for connection to said telecommunications network in order to set up a call with the patient station, means for remotely controlling the patient station, suitable for remotely controlling the patient video camera and for sending said commands to the patient computer, and means, for use after remote control operations have been carried out, for monitoring and feedback purposes by displaying on said display screen images supplied by the patient camera and by transferring to the carer computer data that has been transmitted from the acquisition means of the patient computer via the telecommunications network.
Thus, the remote assistance system of the invention makes it possible remotely to monitor the operation of appliances in the patient's home, both visually by means of the patient's video camera to ensure that the patient installation is in its proper state overall, and in particular that the tubing is properly installed, or to read the information provided by displays, and also by transferring data from the acquisition means of the patient computer to the carer computer. Furthermore, it is possible for the carer to modify the operation of the appliances by sending commands via the remote control means of the carer computer and the transmission means of the patient computer. Similarly, in order to enable conversation to be established between the patient and the carer, the patient station and the carer station both include sound communication means. These dispositions have the advantage of putting the two people concerned who are distant from each other into conditions of dialog that are of particular importance for the well-being of the patient.
Two modes of establishing communication between the patient station and the carer station are envisaged. In a first mode, the patient can set up a call with the carer station voluntarily, while in a second mode, a call to the carer station is triggered by an alarm concerning a departure from expected operation or a breakdown of one of said medical assistance appliances.
Another advantageous characteristic of the remote assistance system of the invention concerns the situation of operation under downgraded conditions in which the patient station finds it impossible to set up a call to the carer station, for example outside the opening hours of a home hospitalization service. Under such circumstances, the invention provides for said system further to comprise a relay center suitable for entering into sound communication with a voice generator at the patient's home.